Car and method for transporting a drive spindle for a roller of a roll stand

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a car ( 100 ) for transporting at least one drive spindle for a roller of a roll stand ( 300 ) and to a method for operating the car. The car comprises a running unit ( 105 ) for displacing the car from the operating side of the roll stand, through the roll stand, to the drive side, or vice versa, and the car is built flat enough that it fits under the drive spindles. The car according to the invention is an alternative to the prior art. Said car is designed as a lift car having a first carrier device ( 110 ) and a first drive unit ( 120 ), wherein the first drive unit ( 120 ) serves for raising or lowering the first carrier device ( 110 ), optionally having the drive spindle ( 200 ), relative to a neutral position.

The invention concerns a car for transporting at least one drive spindle for a roll of a roll stand and a method for operating the car.

Cars of this type are basically already well known in the prior art. For example, German Early Disclosure DE 26 02 655 discloses a method and a device for installing and removing a drive spindle of a rolling mill housing. This method is characterized in that after the work rolls have been removed from the mill housing, the spindle, supported by a carriage, is transported through the window of the mill housing from the operating side to the drive side and vice versa. A extension arm is rotatably supported on the carriage, and transport is effected by hanging the drive spindles on the extension arm by means of loops. Therefore, the device according to this German early disclosure has a very high design, at least higher than the drive spindles are arranged.

The Japanese document JP 55 094 714 discloses a transport car for changing spindles for the work rolls of a roll stand. The transport car can be moved through the mill housing on rails in the rolling direction. The car comprises a sleeper in which the upper drive spindle is held from above and the lower drive spindle is held from below. The car, possibly together with the spindles, is moved through the roll stand by means of a cable line.

The objective of the invention is to make available an alternative car and an alternative method for transporting a drive spindle for a roll of a roll stand.

The objective with respect to the device is achieved by the object of Claim 1. In accordance with Claim 1, the car is characterized in that it is designed as a lift car with a first carrier and a first drive unit, such that the first drive unit serves to raise or lower the first carrier, possibly with the drive spindle, relative to a neutral position.

In accordance with the invention, the neutral position is defined as that position of the first and/or second carrier in which the overall height of the car with the two carriers is at its minimum, i.e., the car is as flat as possible. Any raising or lowering of even one of the carriers leads to an increase of the overall height of the car.

The claimed car is sufficiently flat in its construction that it can be moved under the drive spindle. The claimed design of the car as a lift car with a first carrier has the advantage that the carrier can be raised directly under the drive spindle, so that the drive spindle can be let down directly onto the carrier without the use of a crane and carried away with the car.

For the later installation of a new or overhauled drive spindle between the roll stand and the drive mechanism for the roll stand, especially a pinion gear unit, the sequence of steps is carried out in reverse: First, the drive spindle is transported on the carrier into the area between the roll stand and pinion gear unit. There it is raised to the particular height that is required by means of the lift car and the liftable carrier, so that it can be coupled to the pinion gear unit and to spindle mounts on the roll stand.

In accordance with a first embodiment, the car has a second carrier, which is integrated in the first carrier 110 and can be raised and lowered relative to the neutral position together with the first carrier 110. The provision of two carriers, which can also be adjusted in height relative to each other, has the advantage that even relatively great heights to which the carriers must be raised to receive the drive spindles can be reached with the use of the lift car without the lift car having to give up its flat construction, i.e., without it having to be designed with a greater minimum height.

The second carrier with the second drive unit is preferably fully integrated with respect to its height in the original height of the lift car or in the first carrier.

In addition, the objective stated above is achieved by a method for operating the car. The advantages of this method correspond essentially to the advantages mentioned above in connection with the car.

Of course, it should be mentioned as a special advantage that especially the first carrier can not only be raised above the neutral position of the lift car by means of its toggle or scissor joint lift system but also lowered below this neutral position. In the neutral position or in the raised position, the car can be moved on the floor of the mill hall in which the roll stand is located. Within the roll stand the carriers can be lowered below the neutral position without colliding with the lower backup roll, especially after the latter has first been lowered itself. The lowering of the carriers below the neutral position has the advantage that it allows the car with the carriers to be moved under the head of the drive spindle; in the neutral position of its carriers, it would not usually be possible to move the car under the head of the drive spindles.

It is advantageous if the first and/or second carrier can each be locked, at least in its neutral position; in their locked position, the carriers provide the car with much greater stability (torsional rigidity) than in their unlocked position.

Further advantageous refinements of the car and the method for operating it are described in the dependent claims.

The specification is accompanied by two figures.

FIG. 1 shows the drive spindles in the installed state between the roll stand and the pinion gear unit.

FIG. 2 shows the car according to the invention.

FIG. 3 shows the car being run in through the roll stand.

FIG. 4 shows the lowering of especially the first carrier below the neutral position.

FIG. 5 shows the movement of the car with the carriers lowered under the head of the drive spindle.

The invention will now be described in detail on the basis of specific embodiments and with reference to the aforementioned figures. In all of the figures, technical elements that are the same are referred to by the same reference numbers.

FIG. 1 shows two drive spindles 200, which are installed between a roll stand 300 and a drive unit 400, especially a pinion gear unit, for driving the drive spindles. The drive spindles drive work rolls in the roll stand 300. The work rolls are typically installed in the roll stand between the upper and lower backup rolls 310 a, 310 b. However, the work rolls are not shown in FIG. 1, because they must be removed to allow the car to be moved through the roll stand 300. The drawing also shows the car 100 of the invention for transporting the drive spindles. The car has a running unit, here, for example, running wheels, for moving the car—possibly with the drive spindles—from the operating side BS of the roll stand 300 through the roll stand to the drive side AS or vice versa. The car is basically designed with a sufficiently flat construction that it can be moved under the drive spindles 200 and especially their broadened heads 210.

In FIG. 1, the first carrier 110 is raised as part of the lift car to the height of the lower drive spindle 200 or under the lower drive spindle 200. In this position, the drive spindle can be set down directly on the first carrier, which has the advantage that there is no need for a crane.

FIG. 2 shows the detail of the design of the car 100 according to the invention with the first carrier 110 and a second carrier 112, each in the neutral position. The drawing shows especially the first carrier 110, which can be raised and lowered relative to the neutral position by means of a first drive unit 120, e.g., a hydraulic cylinder, and a first lifting device 116, e.g., a toggle lifting device. The car can have either only one carrier or both carriers, depending on the overall lifting height that is required.

The lifting height for only one carrier is limited due to the toggle lifting device 116. In accordance with the invention, to be able to achieve greater lifting heights, the second carrier 112 is integrated in the first carrier 110. The second carrier in turn can be raised or lowered beyond the first carrier by means of a second drive unit 114, e.g., in the form of a hydraulic cylinder, and a second lifting device 116, e.g., a second toggle joint.

The car preferably has its own third drive unit 140 for independent movement of the car. Alternatively, it can also be moved by means of external drives, e.g., a roll-changing locomotive, coupled to the car by cable lines. The running unit 105 of the car can take the form of running wheels or skids for moving the car on rails, which are laid on the floor of the mill hall and pass through the roll stand.

The car is operated as follows in accordance with the invention:

-   -   the car 100 is moved under the drive spindle 200 of a roll stand         300;     -   a first and/or second carrier 110, 112 of the car is lifted         under the drive spindle 200;     -   the drive spindle is picked up;     -   if necessary, the first and/or second carrier with the drive         spindle is lowered, e.g., down to the neutral position; and     -   the car is moved away with the drive spindle 200. The car can be         moved under the drive spindle 200 and later moved away through         the roll stand 300 or transversely to the drive spindles.

If the car is moved to the drive spindles 200 through the roll stand 300, then its movement into the roll stand encompasses the following steps:

-   -   The car, with the first and possibly the second carrier in the         neutral position or the raised position, is moved into the roll         stand, from which the work rolls have been removed. The neutral         or raised position of the carriers is necessary, so that the         carrier does not collide with the mill floor; see FIG. 3.     -   The first and possibly second carrier is lowered below the         neutral position and thus below the head 210 of the drive         spindle 200 before the head of the drive spindle is reached in         order to be able to move under the head; see FIGS. 4 and 5.     -   After passing the head, the carriers are raised under the drive         spindle as far as necessary—typically beyond the neutral         position—in order to pick up the drive spindle along with its         head.

The car, together with the drive spindle, is then moved away, but during this operation, the first and second carriers are not lowered below the neutral position in order to avoid collision with the mill floor.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

100 car

105 running unit

110 first carrier

112 second carrier

114 second drive unit

116 lifting device, for example a toggle or scissors joint

120 first drive unit

200 drive spindles

210 head of the drive spindles

300 roll stand

310 a upper backup roll

310 b lower backup roll

400 drive unit/pinion gear unit

500 rails 

1-12. (canceled)
 13. A car for transporting at least one drive spindle for a roll of a roll stand, comprising: a running unit, the car being sufficiently flat so as to be movable under a drive spindle by the running unit, wherein the car is a lift car; a first carrier; and a first drive unit operatively arranged to raise the first carrier under the drive spindle and to lower the first carrier relative to a neutral position.
 14. The car in accordance with claim 13, and further comprising a second carrier integrated in the first carrier and lowerable relative to the neutral position together with the first carrier.
 15. The car in accordance with claim 14, wherein the second carrier has a second drive unit for raising or lowering the second carrier relative to the first carrier.
 16. The car in accordance with claim 15, and further comprising a lifting device that mechanically couples the first and/or second drive unit with the first or second carrier.
 17. The car in accordance with claim 13, wherein the running unit has running wheels or skids for moving the car on rails laid on a floor of a mill hall in which the roll stand is located.
 18. The car in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a third drive unit for independent movement of the car.
 19. A method for operating a car according to claim 13, the method comprising the steps of: moving the car under a drive spindle of a roll stand; lifting a first and/or a second carrier of the car under the drive spindle; picking up the drive spindle; lowering the first and/or the second carrier with the drive spindle, if necessary; and moving the car away with the drive spindle.
 20. The method in accordance with claim 19, including moving the car under the drive spindle through the roll stand from an operating side to a drive side, and moving the car away in a reverse direction.
 21. The method in accordance with claim 20, including moving the car, with the first and possibly second carrier in the neutral or raised position, into the roll stand, from which the work rolls have been removed; lowering the first and possibly second carrier below the neutral position and below a head of the drive spindle before the head of the drive spindle is reached; moving the car with the lowered first and possibly second carrier under the head of the drive spindle; after passing the head, raising the first and/or second carrier under the drive spindle as far as necessary in order to pick up the drive spindle along with the head; and moving away the car, together with the drive spindle, but during this step, the first and second carriers are not lowered below the neutral position.
 22. The method in accordance with claim 19, including carrying out movement of the car below the drive spindle and subsequent movement away of the car with the drive spindle transversely to a longitudinal axis of the drive spindle in an installed state of the drive spindle.
 23. The method in accordance with claim 19, including carrying out movement of the car below the drive spindle through the roll stand, and carrying out subsequent movement away of the car with the drive spindle transversely to a longitudinal axis of the drive spindle in an installed state of the drive spindle.
 24. The method in accordance with claim 19, including locking the first and/or second carrier with the car at least in the neutral position.
 25. The method in accordance with claim 24, including locking the first and/or second carrier with the car in the lowered position and/or the raised position as well. 